WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 24, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) announced today that the package of transportation and safety legislation (H.R. 22) that the Senate is debating this week includes several measures she championed to support New Hampshire priorities. As a member of the Commerce Committee, which approved provisions of the highway bill last week, Ayotte successfully included amendments to help New Hampshire combat drug-impaired driving — including driving under the influence of heroin and prescription opioids — and help establish state infrastructure banks. As debate on this legislation moves forward this week, Ayotte will also push for the inclusion of an amendment to maintain and repair deficient bridges using funds saved from reducing tax fraud.
“Critical infrastructure projects to repair and improve our roads, bridges, and highways are integral to New Hampshire’s economy, and we need a multi-year highway bill that provides certainty for NHDOT and local municipalities so they can plan and hire workers,” said Ayotte. “I was pleased to work on specific measures that will help make our roads and bridges safer for drivers, protect the rights of motorcycle riders in New Hampshire, and help states attract private investments to fund local transportation projects. As debate on this legislation moves forward, I’ll continue to push for these common sense measures.”
As part of her ongoing efforts to address New Hampshire’s growing heroin crisis, Ayotte worked to include an amendment that directs the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to support state efforts to increase public awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving, including driving while under the influence of heroin or prescription opioids. Another amendment she incorporated in the bill would bolster efforts in New Hampshire to establish a state infrastructure bank that leverages state and federal transportation dollars to attract private investments to help fund local transportation needs. Additionally, Ayotte worked to include language from a stand-alone bill she has co-sponsored with several other senators that would prohibit NHTSA from issuing federal grants to states to fund discriminatory motorcycle-only checkpoints.
This week, Ayotte will also introduce an amendment based on her stand-alone legislation, the Strengthening America’s Bridges Act, to use savings from reducing tax fraud associated with the Additional Child Tax Credit to provide grants to states to repair or replace deficient bridges- addressing an important need in New Hampshire, where almost one-third of bridges are classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Ayotte’s amendment would make a simple fix in the tax code to require that filers’ children have Social Security Numbers in order to qualify for the Additional Child Tax Credit, which the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates could save an estimated $20 billion over 10 years. The savings would be used to finance the Strengthening America’s Bridges Fund and allow the Department of Transportation to work with New Hampshire to replace or repair these bridges.
